The Germany defender visited the City of Manchester Stadium with Hamburg in the UEFA Cup in April 2009, with City's 2-1 win on the night not enough to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit. "We lost but we won (the tie), it was a great game," he said. "Manchester City played very well, they won but we won the first game so we went into the semi-final. "The atmosphere was great, the whole stadium was so loud. In England I think the fans are a little bit louder and have more enthusiasm for soccer. In Germany it is good too, but in England they are crazy!" Boateng will join City officially on July 1, and is looking forward to linking up with former Hamburg colleagues Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong in a potential Premier League title challenge. "I know both, we are good friends and they are great players," Boateng told the club's official website. "I hope we have a good season with them. I spoke a little to Vince (before my move), he was in Hamburg for two months. "I hope (that we win the league) - we are a great team, the others are good too but Manchester City are growing and I hope we win something. "I want to learn a lot in training and with the team, we have great players. (Carlos) Tevez, (Emmanuel) Adebayor, (Gareth) Barry - they are all great players. De Jong, I know him, he is very important for the team." Discussing manager Roberto Mancini, Boateng explained: "I am very impressed with him, he spoke to me for an hour and said I must come to Manchester City, that he liked my game and he will make me better. "I made my decision for this team and this trainer and I'm very happy."
